Dead by Sunrise
by Agent Xero
Summary: MMPR/IS/TF/DT : In the year 3009, an excavation team lead by Time Force unearths a cavern not entered to in almost 1,000 years, but while doing so unleashes a forgotten evil so deadly that even the most experienced Rangers may not be able to stop...
1. What Once Was Lost, part 1

I'm back and with a brand new story that I think will knock the socks off of you. My second four-way crossover from various seasons that I hope will top "Black Water" I'm hoping to update every few weeks, depending on what the week for school brings.

This may come off as a little AU, but bear with me, because I think youll like it.

**Summary: **In the year 3009, an excavation team lead by Time Force unearths a cavern not entered to in almost 1,000 years, but while doing so unleashes a forgotten evil so deadly that even the most experienced Power Rangers may not be able to stop

**Timeline**: Nine years after Time Force ended. The rest you'll just have to find out on your own

**Seasons:** MMPR, IS, TF, DT. Please note not all Rangers will be present, but may make cameo appearances as the story progresses.

Enjoy, and as always, leave me a review.

**Dead by Sunrise  
By: Stephanie  
White Time Ranger**

Chapter 1: What Once Was Lost, part 1

_Year 3009: Outskirts of Los Angeles_

The darkened earth seemed to breathe as the wind blew, whistling around the grand sand dunes that rose from the ground casting shadows over the scattered remains of buildings that crumbled under the beating of the harsh deserts hands. Dancing slowly the sand moved its way carelessly over the hidden remains of this once-grand city, lost and forgotten with time. For hundreds of year it lay concealed in the desert grave time carelessly placed there. A city forgotten, an ancient and grand land where skyscrapers towered over all; where they now lay battered and beaten, shrinking as the merciless winds cut them down to size, burying them, cutting them off from the world.

Over the years, the surrounding cities began to grow distant; this great monument to the past was abandoned, forgotten, and left to continue its decay. Miles and miles of sand separated it from civilization and from memory. A once-proud city became one with the ground, its elements returning home. The desert grew taller as the years continued and the last memory faded underneath its thick gravelly blanket, never to be thought of again.

A single gleam of light bounced from the moon as it rose higher into the night sky, giving light to a small vehicle as it glided effortlessly through the air, towards a small metal statue that had not managed to escape the layers time bestowed upon it and made its letters nearly illegible to the human eye.

"This is creepy," stated a young woman as she gazed over the miles of dark emptiness. "No one's been out here for centuries." Allison Rider shivered as a chill ran down her spine and she pulled her jacket closer to her. The blue of her eyes continued to stare at the land time forgot.

Doctor Alan Grant turned back towards the young woman, the aged lines of his face grinned. "This area of the state was abandoned mid 23rd century, after a tsunami nearly wiped everything this side of the Rockies off the map." He turned his eyes back to the glowing GPS on the dashboard. They were almost toward their destination. "I cant imagine it, humanity having to start over."

A red haired man sitting next to Allison turned to her, "I remember reading in school, that tsunami was massive, stretching the length of the western United States, from Oregon to Baja California. Incredible." He scanned the desert. "Everything was destroyed, lost beneath the water, millions of lives lost. Thousands of miles of city gone, just like that. A buddy of mine had to go through his training for the Marines out here years ago. He said at night, in the dead middle of it, you could still hear the souls of those lost crying for help."

Allison turned abruptly. "Alright Greg, knock it off. Youre giving me the creeps." Greg Hutchen grinned at her through the dark and averted his eyes back to the nothingness around them.

The trio continued quietly once again through the desert for what seemed like eternity until the Doctor saw the marker he was looking for. The entrance, just as the Admiral said it would be there.

"Were here," he called, rousing Allison and Greg from their stares. "Grab the equipment and lets go the winds out here are strong enough to break skin." Both acknowledging him they opened the side doors and grabbed their cases. Moving toward the small entrance way, the Doctor slipped the card past the lock, and the pressurized seal broke, the door sliding past them. Instantly they felt the dampness of the ground around them, the chill seeped through their clothes.

"Dr. Grant, why are we here again?" Greg asked and shook the piles of sand off his jacket.

Dr. Alan Grant ruffed the sand from his hair. "This comes as a special order from Admiral Williams himself. Top secret, he said it was. Of course he couldnt give me specifics, but if you ask me", he cracked open a green light stick and began to move down the set of stone stairs toward an opening in the wall, "I think Time Force is looking for something."

Greg huffed. "Time Force is always looking for something. More money, you know how those bastards are. Ticketing everything possible trying to fund for their anti-crime goal. Ever since that guy Ransik leaked through here, Im beginning to question whether or not were ever going to have their idea of a safe city. Nine years later and we still have crime." They turned through another corner and down a winding case of stares, their footsteps echoed around them.

"Oh please, Ransik killed one of their Lieutenants, remember?" Allisons quiet voice peaked up form the back of the line. "It wasnt like Time Force turned its back and let him get away. Those four officers that went back, they saved our lives. One of my husbands co-workers girlfriends brothers knew a guy from high school that was on that mission, she slung her backpack over her shoulder. Kendall I think was his last name. Nice kid."

"Any relation to Lucas Kendall, the NASCAR champ?" Greg asked and earned an unsure shrug from Allison. "My daughter absolutely adores him. I didnt know he was a NASCAR driver until the news had a special on the four officers. I got to give them credit; I could never have just jumped in a ship and departed. The past, its a scary thought."

"I heard," Greg continued, "That the Sergeant leading the team, the one engaged to the Lieutenant, broke it off because of some guy she met in the past and had a fling with."

Dr. Grant turned. "Jennifer Scotts?" Greg nodded. "I think theres more to that story then Time Force was willing to portray. They knew what happened; you could see it in their faces. Besides, I met Lieutenant Scotts a few weeks ago when I was given this mission, and she was charming, a beautiful young woman. She looked to be either twenty-seven or twenty-eight I think. Amazing how she got to be that high in the ranks at such a young age."

In silence they continued their descent even further, until the sand became solid stone encasing them like a tomb.

"This place creeps me out." She looked around at the light stone and the light that bounced off of it. "Hard to believe this used to be a city." A few more twists and turns, and they came to their site, a small cave pressed deeply within the Earths crust.

"Technically," Dr. Grant set down his cases and opened them, beginning the process of powering up him jackhammer, a faint buzz came from the lower part, the laser-cutter powering up. "This is the mountains, we believe. Angel Grove has yet to actually be found."

Greg powered up his equipment as well, strapping the holster around his back. "So then what makes Time Force believe this is place where theyre going to find whatever it is theyre looking for?"

"Classified," Dr. Grant interjected. "I asked the same thing and Admiral Williams wouldnt tell me." Opening a laptop, a digital map spread all throughout the wall and illuminated the inside of the rocks, mapping what was beyond it for a few feet. He pointed in several different spots, and gave directions for who would begin where; Greg to the middle, himself in the center, and Allison to the side.

Greg grinned as he pointed his illuminated shovel towards the rocks. "Lets get cracking!"

The room buzzed to life as the shovels and jackhammers they had began to hum, the laser piston began cutting effortlessly between the microscopic crevices of rock and clay. The trio worked in silence with the quiet hum that came from the tools. Slowly piles fell to their feet as the moved within the cavern, expanding it inch by inch.

As Greg continued his deploy into the rock, he pushed harder, finding a rough spot in the rocks. This one section, however, would not budge. The harder he pushed the more resistance he came to find. "Allison," he called. "Come here and give me a hand, will ya? This damned thing isn't..." As he leaned onto it with all his weight suddenly the floor beneath him opened wide and fell along with him and Allison with it.

"Greg!" Dr. Grant called as he flew back to the wall and hoped the chasm would stop, his wish granted. Slowly he moved towards the opening as a rush of cool air came out, whistling past his ears. "Allison! You guys alright?"

"We're okay, Alan," Allison responded as she helped Greg to his feet, the Doctor crept closer. "What is this place?" Spider webs and sand covered everything, the metal around them degraded to nothing. In the middle of the room sat a large oval cylinder rising about thirty feet into the air and glass spayed all around it. Inside the cylinder sat a bounty of clear crystals with a light purple tint. Across the room from the large cylinder sat a smaller column with the remnants of a spherical shape, this too had the same crystal configuration inside the broken glass.

Alan slithered slowly down the ladder and came to rest on the stone platform around them, his eyes gazing in wonder. "We're standing in a room that looks like it hasnt been entered in hundreds, perhaps thousands of years." Decaying metal ramps lined both sides of this strange cavern, leading up to a smaller, and half circle table with small round switch-like objects sat. On top of them rose smaller platforms, and unknown objects resided.

Moving past the gigantic cylinder, Greg found another table, surrounded by a broken case. Inside that case lay six small coin-like objects, covered in years and years of spider webs and sand, a thick blanket of gray.

Greg picked up one of the tattered and broken coins, holding it up to the floating lamp beside him. He turned it over several times in his hand, outlining the faint picture it held, it almost resembled the look of a...

"Dinosaur?" he mumbled. "Dr. Grant, call the Admiral," he started at the coin, his mind twisting, his face turning into a pleasant smile. "I think we found something..."

* * *

"Admiral Williams, over here!" a woman pushed through the crowd towards the floating podium where several Time Force officers stood, staring out over the sea of reporters. "Admiral, what is it that your top secret diggers have found in the desert? No one has ventured out there in hundreds of years. What is it Time Force is looking for?"

The gray-haired Admiral waved his hand and grinned. "Time Force, as you all are aware, is looking for a newer, more powerful way to give our city the cleaner resources it needs. With the help of our research team we are one step closer to that goal."

Another voice beckoned from the crowd. "What is it that Dr. Grant and his team found buried beneath the sand? Is it the lost city?"

The age in his eyes kept his mind hidden well. "We are still examining what Dr. Grant found, we believe it to be a new form of a trizyrium crystal to power our citys resources."

From the back of the crowd, a younger woman shook her head in disbelief. She huffed and moved her bangs from her face. "This is bullshit," she shook her head, her eyes hidden behind the sunglasses she wore.

A younger officer turned towards her. "Come again, Lieutenant?"

Jennifer Scotts huffed again and looked at the young man. "Its a cover-up, this whole 'cleaner' city campaign he's got going on. It's pure and absolute bullshit, Jack. It really is." The Admiral continued to talk, a dark smile descended upon his face. "You can see it in his eyes. Time Force is looking for something else. Something about this whole excavation thing just doesn't feel right. Call it a hunch."

The officer turned back to the podium. "The mayor seems to be happy about this, you know. Since that leak from the plant two years ago, we're still trying to clean it up."

"And you believe that crap?" Jen blurted out, silencing the officer. A few people turned to her and brought their eyes back. "Every since we came back, nothing's felt right." She gestured to where Admiral Williams and the Mayor now stood; shaking hands over the pact they created to make their fine city better.

The officer shrugged. "Well, at least corruption is down within the last few years."

Jen crossed her arms in front of her chest in disagreement. "Corruption is the leading cause of this citys problems, starting with the two men standing up there," she pointed. "They're the top of all this, Jack, and they're hiding something." Turning on the point of her heel, Jen left the scene and headed back to her car. Paperwork swarmed her desk back at headquarters. Paperwork. Thats all she seemed to do these days.

Powering on her squad car she left the scene and drove past the training academy where she saw Alex's car parked. She had almost forgotten- today was fitness day; where all the new recruits got their asses handed to them. It was all part of the new training protocol the Admiral instilled- have them work till they pass out and work some more. Jen didn't agree with it one bit. After parking her car she entered the gymnasium. Equipment lined the walls, platforms hovered near the ceiling, the irritating sound of sneakers against wax floors screeched into her ears.

She heard his deep voice clear as day across the large room, booming out orders. Run. Drop. Roll. Run. The familiar pattern she went through almost ten years ago with Alex, all designed to heighten the senses and increase agility. It worked some of the time, but not all.

"Officer on site!" one of the recruits in the back yelled as they all stood and snapped to attention as Jen walked by, they offered a crisp salute to her and she returned it, calling them back as they were.

Alex turned as she passed the group; they dropped again to the ground and continued the familiar phases. He pressed a button on his board, and it disappeared back into its holder.

"How was the press conference?" he asked after ordering a ten minute water break. Grabbing a towel he wiped his forehead of the lines of sweat and swallowed a mouthful of water.

The Lieutenant shrugged. "It was the same old story; Williams making up lies and cover-ups and the Mayor backing him up." Jen rubbed her forehead and dropped her voice, despite the noise surrounding them. "This entire thing is unsettling, Alex. It really is."

"Just dont go around snooping like I did. Look what happened to me when Williams found out. I lost my title, my pension, everything, and all to shut me up. He doesnt play around, Jen." He looked her straight in the eye. "I'd hate to see the same thing happen to you. Time Force doesn't need another one of their top officers to get fired. Not again."

"What this organization needs to do is cut out the top man and start over. Ever since we got back, everything seemed off." Jen looked towards the ground. "I don't know, maybe its just me."

Alex nodded. "No, you're right. Williams was never like this, and once he was promoted, everythings changed, for better or for worse." He took another sip. "For worse, if you ask me. Keep your ears open. Williams has a soft spot for you. Good or bad, youre the only chance we have of seeing what he's really up to."

"This whole thing scares me, Alex. Its all so shady, all the money hes pushing for and everything. The sad part is almost this entire city believes him and Mayor Mincini. Its all wrong." She sighed. "Then theres you and me. Two against the world."

Alex smiled. "That hasn't stopped us before, Jen. Perhaps that's what makes us such a great couple." He saw Jens cheek twitch at that word. His smile faded as quickly as it came. "We live in dangerous times with dangerous people at the top who would do anything to bring us down. Keep your chin up, Jen." the group he was working with returned and took their spots. "Things are going to change, I can feel it. We just need to keep on our toes."

She agreed. "It's just a matter of when and how. For better or for worse," she echoed him. "Let's hope this is for the better."

He reached out and graciously grasped her hand, a sign he knew she appreciated. They parted once again and went their separate ways, Alex back to his training group and Jen back to her car. Across the city blocks, the Mayor and Admiral Williams stood, hand in hand as the crowds cheered for the change they promised, a change that blanketed the corruption and disorder that lay hidden in the upper ranks of Time Force, all kept a dangerous secret by one of the most respected organizations known to time

_To Be Continued_


	2. What Once Was Lost, part 2

**What Once Was Lost, part 2**

Droplets of water echoed as they fell from the ancient rock that encased the cavern. Small crevices carved by the miniature rivers created an intricate web that, for lack of a better word, fascinated Trip Regis. He stared at the patterns on the ceiling as they dripped over the delicate coin-like artifacts, probably leading to some of the decay he found. On the other hand, they were beautifully preserved, the chill that ran through the cavern helping slow down process.

A smile crept across his face as he picked up one of the coins in a gloved hand and ran his fingers over it; the science geek in his went wild with joy. "I've never seen anything like this, it's simply amazing. Let's get them back to the lab, so we can run them through the spectrometer, see if it can give us a time frame that they come from."

"Sergeant!" a voice called, and Trip turned his head to find one of the diggers standing behind him, holding a rock. Within it there rested what looked like to be a claw. The woman standing next to him also held up a rock, one with the faint outline of a scorpion. Trip's eyes widened.

"Fossils," he whispered, "Great work guys!" He headed back over to where his team was casing the last of the coins in a special preserving solution, and packaged them up to ship out.

Admiral Williams stood in the shadows, a self-assuring grin remained on his face, his voice dark and rustic, "Excellent job, Sergeant Regis. You've done your city proud." He shook Trip's hand. "With this discovery, you could take the future into a whole new light."

"Thank you, Admiral. We'll get these back and get them analyzed, to see what we can come up with." Trip turned to leave, when the Admiral called to him once again.

"And, notify me of the results, Regis, so I can notify the board of your discoveries." Williams called to him, earning a nod from Trip. Once the team left, Williams stood alone in the cavern, giving it a final once-over, the same twisted smile came to mind as he stared at the portion of rocks that were removed, the fossils, and chuckled deeply. "I'm sure the Board will be most delighted to hear of these discoveries, indeed. This won't take long to throw everything into action. Not long at all."

Williams turned sharply on his heels and left the dimming cavern, and couldn't help but keep his twisted smile all the way to the surface where he saw the vehicles begin to move out with his precious cargo board, safe and sound.

* * *

The clock in her office blinked 17:46 hours. It seemed like forever that she stared at the computer screen. The run report blinked in front of her, almost begging to be written, but Jen found no desire to do so. All she could do was watching the press conference over and over again; the look on the Admiral's face engraved itself into her mind, an expression that for the past five years, since Admiral Gough was found dead in his apartment; suicide was the believed cause of his demise. At least that's what Williams said it was. He had done the investigation himself. After Williams was promoted to the head of Time Force, everything seemed to go downhill in her eyes.

Logan was fired, and Alex removed from the administrative side, both for "suspicious activity", a reason Jen did not believe. When she questioned Williams of the cases, he hushed her, calling it classified and on a need to know basis. That left her in as Lieutenant, and Williams put himself in as acting Captain, until someone who was qualified enough was available to be put in for the position. Five years later, it was still vacant. Many times she offered, but Williams declined her request, stating that she was too inexperienced as leader to run this organization. It was from that day her opinion of him changed, and he grew more and more mysterious, talking in riddles and doing things just a little outside of the book.

She reclined in her chair and began to nibble on the pen she had in her hand, her mind racing. He halted the Ranger program upon his rise, deactivating her morpher, as well as the other three. When he questioned the Red and Quantum morphers, which was an easy cover-up. They were destroyed in the battle versus Ransik in the year 2001. Hearing of the declared destruction seemed to be enough to please him, and he never questioned it again. The reason for the deactivation, he gave her, was that the city no longer needed the Rangers- crime was at its lowest. Another statement Jen did not believe; just this month alone they had numerous robberies, rapes, even a murder.

Now all she had was a desk assignment, and a patrol route. Trip had been reassigned to the research lab here in Los Angeles; Katie had been shipped off to the other side of the States to head their New York headquarters, as was the same with Lucas was moved down south to run their division in Texas.

She opened a desk drawer and pulled out a small box- her morpher- an object that she had not touched in years. There was no need for it, after all, so why should she wear it? Williams insisted he hold on to it for her, but the whole thing seemed off, and she promised to keep it in her desk. She removed the oval object and felt the familiar texture in her hands, and the memories it brought back.

Outside her window, a low rumble of thunder called her name and Jen turned. Night had fallen quickly, but the clouds that rolled in through the city made their presence known. A shiver ran down Jen's spine and her stomach flipped. Echoes of running footsteps made their way into her office and she turned around in her chair. Several officers ran past her office in what seemed to be a panic and out to the Command deck. Jen stood slowly, her curiosity getting the best of her. Subconsciously she slipped her morpher on her wrist and walked onto the deck, hiding it beneath the sleeve of her jacket.

"Code red, code red!" an officer screamed.

Suddenly the lights blacked and everything was caked in a red light, sirens began to sound all throughout the building. Something definitely wasn't right. Jen felt the railing she held begin to shake with the footsteps of the panicked officers. She moved quickly, sliding effortlessly down the metal stairs and onto the main communication deck.

"What the hell is going on?" she hollered over the klaxon and ran beside a young officer at the computer desk. "Status report, Mackan. Make it quick."

"There's a break in at the lab, Lieutenant!" A hologram opened in front of him and frantically he began pulling up cameras as they, one by one, began to fizz out. "I'm pulling up the surveillance cameras now, but half of them are down." White strobes flashed as the outline of a tall and large figure began to rise from the floor, hollering loudly, and sending the workers flying.

"Call for backup, notify Williams, I'm going down there." She pulled four other officers with her and exited the Command hub, flying down the stairs to the lab, four floors below them. After a series of twists and turns they arrived at the lab door, and flew past the opening. "Once we're through, put this entire floor on lockdown! Weapons ready!" She drew her blaster and held it tight against her hip. The fumes from whatever exploded began to spread, causing Jen and her team to gag.

Silently they navigated the destroyed room, hoping to find who or what was causing the disturbance. She parted from the group in search of Trip. After a minute of feeling her way through the blackened room she felt something soft against her ankle. A body. She bent closer, trying to make out the face. She shook it, but to response came. With help of the growing storm outside she saw the face, and the blood. It exploded from a shard of glass impaled at the hairline of the young woman, and drenched everything in black blood, the dead officer's clothes and Jen's hands. She looked around to find the same situation. Two more bodies, dead and battered.

"_Lieutenant,"_ she heard from her earpiece, _"I've got two bodies over here, none of them are moving. No site on the entity that did this." _

Her heart pounded loudly in her ears. "Keep searching. Any word on Sergeant Regis?"

"_No, Lieutenant, we haven't found him ye-"_ the transmission was cut short as a scream broke the eerie silence and a body flew over Jen's head, slamming into the wall above her, the officer's neck cracked loudly.

"Oh goodie, more soldiers to play with!" a dark and rusty voice erupted. Cries of help flew all throughout the radio frequency as a second blood bath began. Jen stood and ran around the corner to find two more officers on their backs, crumpled in ways the human body never should go.

She raised her weapon and fired at the gigantic golden beast, and dropped the fourth officer and turned to her, unaffected by her blast. His blue skin turned black as blood soaked his body and he threw the last officer aside like a doll. "Hold it right there, you son-of-a-bitch!"

"You soldiers don't stop popping out of nowhere," it grumbled in a gravelly voice.

"You've got nowhere else to go, get down on the ground and put your hands behind your head!" Her weapon trained at the center between his lifeless red eyes.

A pair of long wings gaped from his back as a sword materialized in his hand. "Never! You will never defeat the likes of me! Not again, soldier!"

Jen holstered her blaster and rolled, dodging the blast he sent out from his hands. She threw a kick at him but he blocked it effortlessly and hit her hand in the stomach, instantly she felt a crack in her side. He took a second blow to her head, disorientating her, making her vision to blurry and red.

"_Hang on, Lieutenant, back-up on the way!"_ one of the Sergeant's said as Jen tried to stand again, her legs shook beneather her as the creature began his rampage again.

"Mack, activate the morphers!" she commanded as she crawled over a counter and landed hard. She spit out a mouthful of blood and wiped her lips of the salty liquid.

"_Lieutenant, I don't have that kind of clearance." _

"For God's sake, do it! I'll take the repercussion later!"

"_Lieutenant, I can't-"_

Two hands grabbed her shoulders and lifted her around the side as the beast stared her in the eyes, his hands gripping around her neck as Jen fought to breathe, doing anything she could to get out of his grip. Her body began to shake as she became weaker. Suddenly his grip weakened as Trip stood and threw whatever object he could at her. The beast turned with Jen tightly in his grasp, took one hand and smashed her in the face, knocking the Lieutenant out cold. He threw her to the ground, lifeless.

"Leave her alone!" Trip hollered as the beast walked towards him. "Jen, wake up!" Trip jumped into action and tried to attack him, but the monster retaliated too quickly and swiped his feet from under him, throwing Trip to the ground, picked him up and tossed him towards a wall. He kicked Trip in the stomach and picked up the rattled Green Ranger.

It gave Trip another hit but to no avail, the monster threw him across the room effortlessly. Trip's body somersaulted off the counter and landed a few feet away from where Jen lay as well. He turned his neck slowly to see if Jen was moving, but his head swam too fast for his eyes to focus; he moved his hand limply to try and shake her, but lost consciousness.

More shots rang out as a large team of officers entered the destroyed lab, the white strobes flying out of control with the storm outside. Weapons raised, they all fired, but the beast dodged easily.

"Know this, you pesky humans," his voice hollered, coarse and hurtful, "I may have been defeated once, but I will not go down so easily!" In an instant he was gone, materialized out of the room and leaving the destruction behind.

The Sergeant leading the group stood and stared at the desecrated bodies that scattered the lab. "Search for survivors," he managed to make out. "Sergeant Regis! Lieutenant Scotts!" He ran over to where Trip and Jen lay and immediately called for a medic. "He's not breathing!" he panicked and turned Trip on his back searching frantically for a pulse, "get me a God-damned medic in here!"

From four floors upstairs, Officer Mackan sat silently in his chair, tears streaming down his face. His hands shook has he stared at the static from the cameras, they stopped recording at the first explosion. All he could do was listening to the screams and the pain from the fight. "It's my fault," he whispered. "I- I didn't know I could even activate them."

"_We've got at least six more bodies down here, Admiral, none of them appear to be alive,"_ the Sergeant's voice dimmed. He turned a corner to find the rest of the group, silent and cold. _"Jesus, what happened down here?" _he whispered.

* * *

_Year 2010_

He shot up, his body trembling from the dream he just had; his body drenched in a cold sweat, despite the temperature in the room. He drew in several deep breaths and looked around. He was here, he was home. There was no danger. He was safe.

"Andros?" a calming voice called, and Karone entered her brother's room. "Everything okay? I could hear your screaming from two floors above you." Zhane followed her as she sat down next to him and put her hands on his wrist. His pulse was pounding.

Andros shook his head and whipped is forehead with the blanket. Swallowing hard he shook his head. "Karone- I saw him. Clear as day, I saw him."

Karone's eyebrows shrugged together. "Saw who?"

Andros huffed. "Goldar. I swear it, I saw him." The Red Space Ranger stood and walked over to the open window, letting the cool air wash over his body. "He attacked a building, some type of headquarters."

"Andros, are you sure? You've had his dream several times already and we checked every time. Goldar was destroyed when Zordon's wave hit him."

"He was presumed dead, Zhane, remember? We never found any trace of him after the explosion on the ship." He turned around and looked at his shadow on the floor.

Karone stood and took her brother's hand. "We checked every time. There was so sign of Goldar on Earth, or here."

He shook his head. "No, it wasn't… here. I mean he was on Earth, but I don't know where. I've never seen a place like this before. It seemed so… not of this world."

A small cry from upstairs carried down to them, Karone rolled her eyes. "That baby just doesn't like to sleep, not at all." She stood and gave Zhane a playful slap on the shoulders. "He gets that from you, you know." She left, leaving the two alone.

"Zhane, I'm not going crazy, I swear. I saw him. I felt the blast, I tasted the blood, and I saw the bodies fly." Andros began to ramble uncontrollably.

"Andros, get some sleep. If it makes you feel any better, we can contact someone on Earth tomorrow and find out if they've seen anything. I'm sure of Goldar has really risen from the ashes, we'd hear about it. I mean, we still have that connection with Tommy. He still talks to Jason every now and then. If anyone would know about Goldar's return, I'm sure Jason would be one of the first to know. That'd be my logical choice if I were some evil half-monkey bent on destroying the world."

Andros grinned at his friend. "That's comforting, thanks Zhane. Destroy your worst enemy, or the group who put him in the ground the last time." He lay back down in his bed and tried to relax. Zhane left him in his room and closed the door, leaving Andros to his thoughts once again. He looked out his window to where the moon was almost full, its white light penetrating any inch of dark it came across. He rolled over and took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.

It was all a dream, he told himself; just a dream and nothing else. Closing his eyes he eventually fell back to sleep, but uneasiness settled deep down in his chest that wouldn't go away, no matter how he tried to forget it.

* * *

_Year 3009_

Admiral Williams stood behind him, his hand on the boy's shoulder, his voice masked. "Mackan, it wasn't your fault. It wasn't in your power to do the Lieutenant's bidding." His eyes trailed off outside to where the storm was in full swing, his lips kept from twitching, "It wasn't your fault at all." Williams turned from attempting to comfort the young communications officer and headed downstairs to where the desecrated lab resided.

Ten bodies lay quietly under the white tarp as the Paramedics rushed to pull Trip and Jen out. One team prepared for an intubation while the other pushed drugs to try and get Trip's heart started again, but nothing came up on the EKG, just a flat line across. The Green Ranger's eyes stared blankly at Williams as he stood there, straight and tall, no emotion thrown about his face.

The Admiral watched from a distance as a second group pulled Jen out of the lab, calling the doctors for drug permission and calling her name. An intubation tube was in her throat as one of the medics strapped up a breathing device to her and rested it on her chest. Her hand rose limply from the stretcher and one of the medics grabbed tight, and ran down the hall to where the ambulance resided at the end of the hallway, its engines ready.

"We have a confirmed body count of twelve, Sir, with the possibility that Sergeant Regis may not make it," one of the other Sergeants reported. "Lieutenant Scotts was badly injured as well, Sir. They're taking her to Angel of Mercy West; they have a surgical suite standing by."

"This is just… terrible, Sergeant. Get me a copy of those security tapes, I want to know who did this and why. Have we found Regis' notes yet?" The Sergeant shook his head no. "Keep searching, we need to know what he was working on; this may give us a lead."

"Yes, Sir." The Sergeant saluted and left, leaving Williams alone to stare at the chaos around him, the blood spattered on the wall, the bodies of his fellow officers resting quietly around him. "Well done, you served your city well." His head turned to where a single camera sat in the corner, still somewhat intact. Picking up a piece of chair he tossed it at the camera and knocked it off the wall, all further evidence of this blood bath removed, all with easy flick of the wrist.

* * *

"_Lieutenant, can you hear me?"_ voices faded in and out of Jen's head as the lights from the ceiling flashed over her; her growing headache began to thicken. All she wanted to do was sleep, was that so simple to ask?

"_Jennifer!"_ a familiar face stood over her, his blue eyes staring into hers, begging for her to say something. _"Jen, I need you to say something, anything."_

The face was gone in an instant as she passed through two doors, people in dark blue surrounded her, calling her name, but she couldn't hear them, no matter how much she strained her ears to listen. They spoke too softly. She reached her hand up only to see double and it was forced back down again. She had to tell them something, but she couldn't find the words to do so. A white fuzz clouded her vision as she felt herself go limp and give way to the forces that pushed her down, and then it all went black.

"She's crashing!" One of the nurses hollered, "Get me the defibrillator!"

"Push one of epi," the doctor handed the nurse the syringe as she injected it into Jen's arm.

All this seemed surreal to Alex as he stood outside the bay doors of the emergency room and watched them work her up. The last thirty seconds passed by like hours as they wheeled a battered and bleeding Jen through the doors. Tears streaked down his eyes as they worked her up, her EKG crashed suddenly and sent the room into a frantic desire to get her heart started again.

"Not again," he whispered as the nurses compressed her chest, "Please, God, not again." His entire body shook as his hearing faded out, replaced with the steady hum from the heart monitor attached to her bruising body. He swallowed hard and prayed, pressing his hands against the glass as the buzzing continued, slow and steady, and never ending. All Alex could do was hold his breath and pray, and watch for the small sign of life on the monitor, which seemed to never come…


	3. What Once Was Lost, part 3

**What Once Was Lost, part 3**

_KO-35  
04:57am_

Diligently, Andros sat at his computer and typed away. Article after article, journal after journal he searched for clues to show that this dreams were nothing more than that; that the images of Goldar were just bad memories manifested into his current state of mind. Images flashed before him of headlines from Earth, past and present, his eyes cemented onto the screen. Anything, he hoped, to show that Goldar had not resurfaced. How could he?

The day was still clear in his mind, the day they destroyed whatever evil had been cast upon their city, but in return, lost Zordon as well, his beam of energy destroying whatever darkened soul roamed the Earth- Goldar and Scorpina included. Although, Andros always wondered what had happened to them. They never found a body, any remnants of the creatures, just dust scattered helplessly in the wind.

Was it possible that his dream wasn't just a dream?

It was, Andros convinced himself, as he scanned through numerous TV segments and clippings. There was no sign of Goldar anywhere on Earth, no disturbances, no buildings destroyed, nothing out of the ordinary that would send a signal back in his mind that something was off. He convinced himself this as he sat back and stared off into the dark.

Something still didn't feel right, his stomach did flip flops as he thought of his dream. The screams, the flashes of light, the bodies he saw lay helpless and scattered around like rag dolls. The blood streaks on the wall stained his brain and sent shivers down his spine. He felt the pain; he felt the emotions that carried around the room, death, destruction, sorrow, all echoing through him. He was there, he felt everything.

He saw Goldar stare him in the eyes, the mutant primate's red glare cut through his body like knives, cutting his soul down to size. Andros could swear Goldar saw him.

Andros rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He had to be sure; his gut instinct told him so. A small sliver of light struck through the dark room, illuminating the floor. Daylight. The Red Ranger stood and began to walk back to his room. A few more hours of sleep, he decided, and then he would depart to Earth for a visit, maybe bring Zhane and Karone along if they were up for it.

Slowly he exited out of the room, leaving the computer screen to light the room along with the rising sun. As he rounded the corner, he ignored the small flicker of light coming from the monitor; in the bottom corner, the digital computer clock froze as the second hand ticked, and blinked. The small numbers fuzzed out, and left the corner blank, as if time had simply stopped, and then disappeared.

* * *

_Silver Hills  
18:30 hours_

"_Base to sector seven,"_ came the call over the radio. Eric Myers reached across the console and grabbed the microphone and swallowed the bite of hamburger he and Wes grabbed for dinner.

"Always when we're eating," he grumbled and wiped his mouth as the dispatcher called them again. "Sector seven go ahead base."

"_Commander, we're receiving a distress call from Garden Plaza security of a disturbance in the main lobby of the mall, can you go and check it out? They wouldn't give details." _

Eric rolled his eyes and grunted. "Affirmative, show us en route."

Wes grinned at him. "You know you eat that too fast, Eric, you're going to get sick." He sipped his soda slowly. "And I'm not holding your head over the toilet like I did last time you decided to scarf something down."

Eric shot him a look, and swallowed his bite of burger. "That was thirteen years ago, and I was drunk. This is a different story. Just drive, Wes, and let's bag this crack head and leave. I hate shopping."

Wes threw the SUV into drive and turned onto Sunset Avenue, all the while listening to Eric complaining the entire time. All he could do was roll his eyes and drive. After a ten minute drive, they turned into the entrance and made their way towards the front. Eric gulped down the last of his soda and threw the empty cup into the trash. Scaling the building up and down, he huffed.

"Just another day at the mall, where snot nosed teenagers spend all of mom and dad's money to buy senseless things-"

"Only to throw them away in a year's time like they didn't mean anything." He turned to Eric and laughed. "How many times have you said that?"

"Too many apparently. It's true though. All they do is whine, bitch, and moan and complain." He grabbed the handle on the door and began to open it. "They always take things for-"

The air around them rocketed to life as the wall exploded, sending them flying backwards in a rain of glass and flames. Another large fireball erupted as more people came running out, bloody and bruised. Cries of help and crashes came from inside the lobby as Eric and Wes rose from their seat on the hard cement, shaking off the bits and pieces of debris from blast they unexpectedly received. Peaking past the smoke, they strained their eyes to see what caused the explosion.

Slowly they rose and grunted as Wes turned to him, "Just another day at the mall my ass. Sector seven to base; we're going to need the fire department and the Medics out here. There was an explosion with structural damage, we're going to investigate, send all available units to this location."

"_Received, Commander, Fire and EMS are on their way." _

Eric removed his blaster from his hip, "Just like old times, eh?" he grinned as he and Wes entered the hole in the wall, their weapons raised high.

Inside, screams of terror erupted as they stormed in and glanced at the chaos that surrounded them. Bodies were scattered everywhere as people ran and pleaded for help. Scanning the interior, there was damage to the second and third levels as well, several balconies hung on a delicate thread. In the center of the mall stood a creature neither Wes nor Eric had ever encountered.

Gold plated its blue skin, as well as its wings that stood gallantly behind him. His gravelly voice hollered to those around him, commanding them in both authority and fear. It moved efficiently, despite the amount of armor surrounding its body. A large sword lay spiked in the ground near him. Hearing the Rangers' footsteps it turned, and grinned towards them.

"Freeze!" Eric and Wes hollered, raising their weapons, their fingers on the trigger. The creature turned, grabbed its sword from the ground and laughed as it stared at them. Without warning it raised sword and fired a large blast towards them, causing Wes and Eric to roll apart; once righted they returned fire, but to no effect. They looked towards each other in awe, just as the creature appeared in front of them.

It grabbed Eric by his shoulder and flung him into the pillar about fifteen feet, and a loud crack came from the Ranger's shoulder, causing him to mutter in pain. In his other hand he grabbed Wes by the shirt and threw him further away from Eric. Falling through the glass wall, he continued to roll and stopped hard again a wall. Slightly dazed, Wes shook it off and stood to see Eric fighting hand in hand with the creature.

Taking his cue, Wes rushed back to the scene and jumped into the fight. Fists and kicks flew all around him as, just as quickly as they stood, Eric and Wes flew backward and landed in the stand that used to be a Starbucks.

"Oh yea, just like old times," Wes grinned. "Mutant?" he caught his breath.

"I don't think so; he doesn't seem like any of the mutants we fought." Eric huffed. The five minutes of fighting was enough to wear him down. "I don't remember the last time we heard about mutants here anyway, I'm sure Time Force would have contacted us."

At the mention of the organization, the creature laughed. "Puny humans, you think you can defeat me again? I may have lost the last battle, but this time, I will win the war!" It fired yet another blast at them, throwing Wes and Eric into the air yet again, and gave them another hard landing. "I took care of those pesky Rangers I fought against before, now I'll finish you off!

"Move it," Eric grabbed Wes's shoulder, "move it, Wes!" they stood and tried to escape the blast that it sent out again, and narrowly avoided it.

"At least the other Rangers I fought put up a fight. My master will be proud, now that I've destroyed all of the Time Force Rangers, ending with you two!" He raised his sword again and cast his gaze upon where Wes and Eric sat. Before he could fire, a blast from the back wall hit him, causing his weapon to drop, and him to fall.

Three figures clad in gray ran into the room, their weapons held high. The creature turned, its eyes lit up in anger. "You!" he growled. More footsteps were heard behind Eric and Wes as their back-up finally arrived, weapons high and hot. Turning around once again, it picked up its sword. "This time, I will not go down so easily. You have not seen the last of me!" If a flash, the creature was gone.

Slowly, Wes and Eric rose and gazed upon the three figures standing across the floor. One by one they made their way over, one face in particular stood out. "Andros!" Wes called and grinned.

Andros and the two other people Wes and Eric didn't recognize carefully stepped over the rubble. "Wes, Eric," they shook hands, "I wish it was under better circumstances that we met again." The Space Ranger said.

"You're telling me, what was that," Eric shuttered. "Thing? It was hideous."

Andros turned to the people besides him, then back to Eric and Wes. "Do we have a better location to talk?"

* * *

_Year 3009: Angel of Mercy West, Los Angeles  
03:34 hours_

Alex pressed his forehead against the glass of the hospital waiting room and watched as another summer thunderstorm continued to roll through. Rain pelted the glass and cooling the surface, a welcome relief to the steady headache Alex had to bear. Tears welled up in his eyes, mimicking the falling water, thoughts circulated through his mind, his own personal storm of anger, regret, and sorrow. Quietly he watched as the sky opened up and let its anger lose, a jealousy that he could not overcome. The rumbling that echoed deeply in his chest caused him to swallow hard, and choke back the rain that clouded his eyes.

For four hours Jen was held under the knife, the doctors desperately attempted to repair the damage the beast in the lab inflicted. The outcome, the doctor had told him, would be a miracle surgery. A punctured lung, a ruptured liver, severe internal bleeding, a bad concussion, the list seemed to keep growing as the hours she spent in surgery continued to tick away. The beating she took was nothing to what Trip took, and Alex's heart was out with him; his family was on their way to fly their son home.

"Alex," a quiet voice called. He turned around to see a smaller woman standing behind him, her eyes redder than his. An older gentleman stood besides the smaller woman, his face too reddened and stricken with fear. Jen's mother and father; she was the spitting image of the two. She had her mother's dark hair and her eyes, and her father's spirit. Never in the last ten years since he knew them had he ever seen them like this.

"Angela," he turned as she slowly made her way into Alex's arms. "I'm so sorry." Behind them, Jack Scotts wiped his eyes. Jen's two sisters and her brother stood back to comfort one another as they sat down in the chair slowly. Her two nephews sat on the floor and played with the toys they brought. He could see it in their faces. Even at five years old, they knew something was wrong.

"Please," Angela whispered into his shoulder, "tell me my baby's okay." She looked into his eyes and he could hear her heart beg for good news. "Tell me she's okay," she repeated and gripped his shoulders tight; tears soaked his shirt as he drew in a deep breath. Jen's family was the closest thing he had to one, and to see them like this, to see her mother like this, it cut him even deeper.

Alex swallowed hard yet again. "I haven't heard anything for about an hour and a half or so. I'm hoping no news is good news." He embraced her mother once again. "Jen is strong, we all know that. She's been through worse, and I've seen her pull through with flying colors."

"Mr. Drake?" the Doctor called, as if right on queue. The sea of faces turned, "I take it you must be Lieutenant Scotts' family?" Angela left Alex's arms and moved slowly toward the doctor. "I have good news," he continued. "Jen made it through the surgery, but there was a lot to repair. If she makes it through the next twenty-four hours, I believe she'll make it through with a good recovery." The weight on Alex's shoulders lifted as he fell into a chair, the burden once again lifted from his chest. Jen would make it. He knew it. He watched her family's tears turn to joy as the Doctor announced when they could see her. Moving past them, Alex looked up to see him sitting next to him.

"Mr. Drake, I just wanted to let you know that Officer Regis' family arrived about an hour ago to take their son back with them. If he makes it, the care he would need here, unfortunately we cannot provide, due to his different genetic make-up. I have a connection with the Director of the hospital on Xybria, and I asked him to contact Admiral Williams with any updated information." The Doctor said. Alex thanked him quietly and continued to sit in the chair, watching the storm.

He sat quietly as more thoughts seeped into his mind. One in particular he couldn't shake. Before going into surgery, the Doctor asked about next of kin. Alex gave them Jen's parent's contact information. Then he asked about a significant other, any boyfriend or husband they should notify. At that question, Alex drew a blank. Jen's significant other wasn't here. He wasn't alive. Not in this time period at least. Then again, Jen hadn't even mentioned Wes's name in years, let alone thought of him.

As far as he knew at least, she didn't. It had been almost a decade since the two of them had seen each other. They only knew each other for a few months. The rebound relationship Jen and Wes had began, as Alex looked at it, had turned into nothing, a fight not worth standing up for. It was the convincing factor he needed to try and get her back, but each time she refused him.

It wasn't until they had dinner on six year anniversary of Ransik's surrender did he realize it, until he saw the binder on the coffee table in her apartment. For years she kept a scrap book of newspaper clippings and old pictures from their mission to the past, and kept it hidden from him. The edges of the binder were faded and worn from the number of times she opened it and looked through it. Maybe she did still have feelings for him. He just didn't know how deep.

He and Wes were never very civil, even in the small interactions they held. He thought Wes was aggravating, immature, childish, and irresponsible. Everything Alex wasn't. Maybe that's what drew Jen to him so much, and what caused her to end their engagement. Wes was there for Jen when Alex wasn't; maybe that's what did it. He was never too sure why she ended their relationship; rather he didn't want to admit it to himself why. He lied; he knew why she ended it. She loved Wes; she still does.

Jen's family disappeared as the nurse called for them, leaving him alone once again in the waiting room. The storm continued to rage through the city as Alex stood once again and made his way outside to where his car was parked. The rain seemed to fall harder as the night continued, blanketing the streets in sheets of endless rain. Powering on the SUV he buckled his seatbelt and left the hospital, his direction set to the faint outline of Time Force headquarters that sat quietly on the horizon.

* * *

_Year 2010: Reefside  
23:56hrs_

Stacks and stacks of papers crowded his desk as the computer monitor blinked in front of him. If there was one thing he hated the most, it was grading papers; one-hundred and thirty five to be exact. He often wondered why he had to assign these awful things. Not only did it stress out his students, but it gave him a headache. Reading on the same topic said numerous different ways was enough to make his head spin.

Tommy sighed as he put paper number twenty-three on his finished pile, and rubbed his eyes. He decided, for his sanity, he would never assign another paper before spring break again, and was sure his students wouldn't complain either. Clipping the stacks together he glanced at the clock and called it a night.

Standing, he yawned loudly and stretched. His eyes grazed the TV that was on quietly; the image on the screen caught his attention immediately as he grabbed the remote and turned up the volume.

"Impossible."

_This was the scene at Garden Plaza Mall in Silver Hills, as a golden beast attacked the epicenter of the mall, injuring at least thirty people, killing five. Authorities are unsure of where this creature came from, or when for that matter. The city hasn't seen an attack this devastating since the mutant Ransik in early 2001. Commander Wesley Collins was on hand to speak with channel nine news in this exclusive interview…"_

The screen cut to where Tommy recognized the Red Time Force Ranger, battered and bruised.

"_Commander, any word on where this monster came from? It was thought that any and all monsters were banished when Ransik was captured nine years ago." _

"_We don't have much information on this incident, we were called out for what we considered a routine call, and then all of a sudden there was an explosion, and we saw that… thing ransacking the mall. At this point we know as much as you do. If you'll excuse me." Wes commented. _

"_Commander," the reporter pushed, one more question she urged, "Do you think the other Time Force Rangers would have any idea on this incident? We have not seen them in almost nine years since they disbanded…" _

_Wes turned around quickly, "The Time Force Rangers have nothing to do with this case, they've been gone for years, and I'm sure they're not coming back."_

Tommy began to chew the top of the pen in his hand, deep in thought. He stared at the screen as the footage replayed over and over. If anything, he recognized the eyes, those deep red eyes that could cut through you with a knife.

Besides him, the phone rang loudly and snapped him from his reverie. Eyes glued to the TV, he answered.

"_Are you watching this?" _

"Yea, I am. I don't know whether or not it's someone playing a trick or what." Tommy turned to a different station that was broadcasting the story.

"_I don't think so, Tommy. I really don't. I could swear Goldar was destroyed by the Space Rangers. We never saw any trace of him afterward, so how can he just resurrect?" _

"I don't know, I really don't."

"_Me neither. I'm going to Silver Hills tomorrow to talk to the Silver Guardians. Maybe they can give us some insight into this whole thing. Can you take off from the school tomorrow?" _

"I can use one of my sick days, yes. I'll meet you there, call me when you're leaving Angel Grove, Reefside is about the same distance away." The man on the other line agreed and they verbally parted, leaving Tommy in awe.

He shut off the TV and made his way to his bedroom. Turning off the lights he crawled into bed and closed his eyes and fell asleep. As he slept, his mind went wild in reviving history that for years he hadn't thought about for years, until now.

* * *

_Silver Hills: Collins Mansion  
03:45 hours_

After he and Eric had finally gotten out of the hospital, it was back to square one.

It took hours to finally get everything under control- the structural damage, the hopes it wouldn't collapse, the statements of the witnesses, the notifications to the families of the victims. All Wes wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep, pretend that everything didn't happen. After hours upon hours of wondering and ordering, he got his wish.

Before collapsing onto his bed, he opened his laptop and clicked open his e-mail. He sorted through the numerous event invitations, the spam mail, and all other items of non-importance. He was just about to close his computer when the message icon on his computer lit up. He debated whether or not to open it. One more couldn't hurt. He double clicked and opened the program once again.

His eyes opened wide. The inbox bar was blank across, except for two words that blinked by the cursor. He blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't seeing things. It had to be a joke, he decided. There was no subject, there was no date, and there was no time stamp, just the sender information that blinked in front of him, clear as day:

_  
Inbox 1- Sender: Alexander Drake_


	4. Never Say Never

**Never Say Never  
**

Slowly he felt himself circle through the air, falling faster and faster. His lungs begged for air as he continued to fall, his heart speeding up with the sinking cavern that surrounded him. His muscles panicked and clenched, surrounding him in a cold sweat as he felt himself turn, spiral downward, into a hole of nothing but darkness…

_Gently, back and forth he rocked with the motion of the waves around him. Dense blue light surrounded him as the water kept him level and buoyant. He drew in a deep breath, feeling the water slip past his lips and into his lungs, giving him a sustaining life. He did not cough; he did not choke, but simply breathed with the ocean, soft, steady, and sequential. His lungs working like the waves moving back and forth, giving his body the energy he needed to continue his journey. He did not know where he was or how he got here, but something about it felt static; it had a sort of electric current he could not recognize, but he felt the familiar swell of the water, the same crystal clear blue of the sky. _

_As if by magic he heard the rush of water past his ear, like wind, calling him in to go North, to keep swimming and eventually his questions would be answered. Turning towards the underwater melody he began to swim effortlessly, as if he was walking through the water. Eventually the dense water became lighter, warmer as he moved, feeling the ocean thin and eventually lead to land. _

_The sand beneath his hands was soft and grainy as he climbed out of the water and onto dry land. The clothes he wore becoming lighter as the water drained from them leaving him comfortable and warm. The sun shone down upon him as the wind he heard in the water continued to whisper in his ears, begging him towards the West this time. Stopping to gain his bearings he paused to look around at what he came to find was nothing. _

_Mountains of sand surrounded him in every direction and gave way to nothing. The wind picked up and he felt a sudden feeling of sadness fall upon him, as if he had been here before. But where here was, was the mystery he could not solve. The light of the sun cut through the curtain of flying sand easily, lighting his way through the thick desert sand. The sun was strong overhead, yet he felt no heat coming from the bright star._

_He tried to see past the curtain of sand and wind, but with no avail. From somewhere in the distance a gentle voice floated past his ear. Turning towards the voice he fought once again to find the voice that whispered so close to his ear. Then, just past the curtain he saw her, a delicate figure with a face carved by angels. She smiled at him, wearing nothing but a pure white dress, complimenting her hazel eyes- those eyes he longed to see once again. Walking towards her he tried to speak, only to realize he could not. She held a hand out to him gracefully with a smile on her face. Eager, he reached for her hand… _

_

* * *

_

_Silver Hills: Collins Mansion  
03:45am_

The white light from the computer saturated his eyes as he stared at the blinking cursor that hovered over the letterhead, the vague e-mail sent by a man who he had not put thought to for almost ten years. He felt his mouth go dry as he clicked open the e-mail, his stomach doing flip flops. Why he was so nervous about getting an e-mail from Alex was something he truly couldn't grasp.

Slowly, his eyes darted across the screen, processing each word, hearing Alex's strong, deep voice as he read.

_Wes- _

_It has been a while, I hope all is well. Unfortunately I write you with saddening news that I think you should be aware of. There was an explosion in the DNA lab here at Time Force last week, and somehow a creature became reanimated. We're still looking into this incident to determine how, when and where this all happened. I suspect that somehow, one of Trip's experiments was tampered with. _

_Be careful. This creature has remarkable fire power, and he is deadly. In his first attack he killed at least ten of our people. It is with a heavy heart I inform you that Trip was taken back to his home planet, it is unclear if he will make it, but it doesn't look good. Earth, even in our time, in our time does not have the assets to help his body fight, but I assure you he is in good hands. _

The face of the Xybrian came into his mind as Wes swallowed. "Trip…" he whispered into the darkness and sighed. The name next mentioned caught his attention quickly; his heart sank into his chest.

_Jen was also severely injured in this accident; she went into cardiac arrest at the hospital and is now in a coma. They've kept her under to hopefully help heal the damage. She was in surgery to repair a few bruised organs, a lacerated aorta and two collapsed lungs, but that's the worst of it. Now we wait to see if she'll come out of it. The Doctors aren't sure how much longer she has either, if she recovers from this. He hit hard, fast and violently, unlike anything I've ever seen before._

_I figured I'd warn you if he surfaced in your time, we're still trying to track where he disappeared to. If I hear anything else, I'll be in touch. _

_All the best,  
Alex_

Wes sat in the silence, glaring into the white light of the screen, the brightness burning the letter into his eyes, his mind, even his heart. Something did happen at Time Force; Alex's e-mail confirmed his thought. Trip and Jen were injured, maybe even dead, he didn't know. Despite the warmth of the night, a sudden shiver crawled down Wes's spine.

Standing slowly he moved to his closet, he reached into the back above his shirt rack and pulled out a dusty old shoebox, a habit he had since he was a young boy, of leaving his most beloved items in an old Reebok box. Blowing off the dirt from the top, he opened it and sat down on his bed, the moon shining in brightly through the glass doors to the balcony.

Inside he kept his chrono morpher, its shape felt heavy in his hands as he wiped the dome clean with his thumb. He never thought he'd need it again since they left all those years ago. Laying it on the bed he sifted through the remainders in the box; a few old pictures of his times at the Odd Job shop, his first dollar he obtained on his own, the one single accomplishment he could truly feel proud about.

In the corner of the small box, a triangular shape object weighed the cardboard down. Jen's Time Force badge, the keepsake she placed in his hand the day she left, the conversation played like a movie in his memory…

_Jen looked at him once again, her hazel eyes swollen with sorrow. "You really were a great Red Ranger," she chuckled. "I guess you never really know what you have until it's gone." _

_Reaching into her pocket Jen pulled out a worn and warped Time Force badge, the badge she wore in their final battle with Ransik. She placed the scarred metal gently in the palm of his hand, a small tremor followed through her fingers as they grazed his skin. "Wes, I want you to have this," her voice was small, shaky as the tears swelled in her eyes. "Just in case I don't-" her voice cut off and her eyes averted from his, buried deep down in the sand. "If I never see you again."_

"_Never say never, Jen. Maybe there's a way," his heart pleaded. But they both knew it wouldn't be possible. Not in a million years. _

A small gush of wing wind blew gently past the curtains and a sweet scent of lavender and vanilla filled the air around him, surrounded him in a warm current. The scent crept slowly into his nose, triggering more memories that he kept stored away in the back of his mind. The wind carried her laughter, the scent of her skin, everything that reminded him of Jen suddenly came rushing back as the image appeared in his head; Jen laying still in a hospital bed, and Trip in a casket.

Looking past the balcony he saw the moon reflect off the ocean, the pale yellow bounced effortlessly across the glossy water, smooth and even. His eyes followed the horizon, a task he did every night for years in hoping to see the vortex open, and the woman who stole his heart come back into his life. Three years had gone by before he could put her out of site, but not out of mind.

"_Don't forget me, Wes." Jen whispered as he hugged her tight. _

_He closed his arms in closer to her, feeling her heart beat connect to his. "I never could." _

_Releasing him from her arms, he couldn't help but notice the smirk on her face and echoed his previous words. "Never say never." With one final hug she departed, her shoulders slouched low, her chin towards the sand. Turning, her eyes connected with his as she raised her morpher and pressed a button. As quickly as she came into his life, Jennifer Scotts was gone, and took his heart with her. _

"I never could," he whispered into the darkness. He couldn't imagine Jen laying on a bed, helping and hopeless with holes and tubes attached to her; she was strong. The more he thought about it, he heavier his hands felt holding her badge, the last memory of her he had, the last good memory before he could finally let her go almost six years ago.

He stared off into the night sky, illuminated with stars; they were so close he felt as if they could touch them and be sucked into their world, their prolonged night and fade with the rising sun. Wes' mind turned slowly as he turned Jen's badge round and round in his hand, silently pleading for an answer to a question he couldn't ask out loud.

What felt like hours of thinking finally paid off; an idea popped into his head. Andros knew about Goldar, for the most part, but perhaps someone else who fought him, who could offer more information about his power, his strong and weak points; perhaps how to destroy him before he rampaged half the city.

Before Wes could realize what he was doing, he was dressed and out the door. Starting his truck he peeled out of the driveway at six in the morning, with the night fading fast and the sun on the horizon.

* * *

"I wasn't surprised at all to receive your call, Wes. Jason and I were actually going to come out today to talk to you." Tommy Oliver smiled as he and Jason Scott entered the massive doors of Silver Guardian Headquarters. "Good seeing you, I just wish the circumstances were different."

Eric offered up a friendly hand shake as well. "Andros and Zhane are waiting upstairs in the conference room. We've received new information that I think will help us to sort through this mess, maybe bring some new light into this whole thing."

Jason and Tommy nodded as they four Rangers made their way towards the elevators, turning down the hallways of Silver Guardian Headquarters. Minutes later they entered through a door to see Andros and Zhane sitting at a table. After a few quick hellos and handshakes, their meeting began.

"What's this new news, Wes? I mean, I fought Goldar on numerous occasions, but I don't remember seeing him like that," Jason spoke in reference to the broadcast of the attack yesterday.

Wes pulled out a folded piece of his pocket. "This," he handed to Tommy, who sat between Andros and Jason, "was sent to me last night by an old friend, and an ex-Ranger; his name is Alex. He's a contact from the future."

Zhane's eyes rose. "The future? You're kidding me, that's impossible, it doesn't exist." He looked to Eric who confirmed Wes's statement.

"The other Time Force Rangers," Eric said, "were from the future when they came here on a mission to retake Ransik, the year for them was 3000. I thought it was crap too, until we began to try and unlock the Quantum morpher, with no such luck. The technology was light years beyond what we have currently."

Jason chewed his lip. "This Alex guy, he works for Time Force, and he's an ex-Ranger." Wes nodded. "He sent you a message saying that somehow Goldar was… reborn in the future and traveled back here?"

Wes sat down in a chair and removed his hat, setting it on the table. "Not necessarily reborn but, I believe, reanimated. Time Force has the ability to create and edit DNA. That's how Ransik came to be, his DNA was mutated from that of someone like you or me. They can literally grow a human from just two genomes, and change the DNA to suit what the parents want. It's expensive, though."

"But in order to do so, they'd have to have a segment of Goldar's DNA. Where would they get it from?" Andros asked. Wes's eyes darted back to him. "Goldar was eliminated and reduced to a pile of dust Zordon's energy wave hit him. We never saw traces of him again after that point."

"That's where I hit a snag in my theory. If Goldar was disintegrated, and his body grinds up into billions of pieces, I don't know how he could have been reanimated. Alex didn't say much, just that a mutant or whatever he is escaped from an accident in the lab and that they're still tracking him. He gave a warning that somehow he may end up here."

Tommy raised an eyebrow as another thought came to mind. "Scorpina and Goldar were in the same area when they were destroyed, has Time Force found anything on her?"

Wes shook his head. "If they did, Alex didn't mention it."

Eric huffed. "Looks like your future grandson was right then, Wes. We've got another crazy baboon off on the mission to destroy humanity. Merry freakin' Christmas to us."

Tommy turned to the group. "Regardless of how Goldar came about, the truth of the matter is that he's back, and based on what I saw yesterday on the TV, he's got a lot more fire power than when Jason and I fought him."

"Agreed, he's grown in size and strength," Andros stated.

"We need to figure out a plan. I don't know about the rest of you, but my Dino gem was destroyed in our final battle with Mesogog a while back. I don't have my powers, but I can still fight." Tommy said, and Jason nodded in agreement.

Andros looked at Zhane. "On the plus side, I can recharge our morphers. It may take a while, but once calibrated at the right pulse, we can be back online, to help in the fight."

Wes rocked slowly back and forth. "Biolab can supply you with the equipment you need, Andros. Just say what and you'll have it."

Jason grinned. "Any chance that your friends from the future will be joining us?" Wes had almost forgotten about taking the section about Jen and Trip out.

"I don't think so, Jason. Call it a hunch." Wes sighed. "Something tells me we may be doing this on our own, unless things change. For now, I think we're on our own."

* * *

_Year 3009_  
_Time Force Headquarters- Archive Library  
21:30 hours_

Images flashed through the room as Alex stood in the center of the archive platform, his hands searching through endless files for any information about Trip's experiment, about this creature, about the length of recovery from the injuries Jen sustained, and about the great Admiral Williams himself, a research effort that was years in the making.

Holograms flew up all around him as he opened them, quickly read and closed it again, discarding it as useless information and opened up another file. What he found mostly consisted of articles containing the bits and pieces of the past, before the year 2001… before the disaster that nearly whipped out every piece of information Time Force had. Vaguely he found articles on the first known band of Rangers to hit Earth, and very little about the villains that came around.

What he was able to discover, was that this creature, known to the past as Goldar, wasn't the typical vile creature they had come to know. He was strong, an endless supply of energy, and a very short temper and a skilled warrior. He was one of Rita Repulsa's go to guys for getting the job done, but as time developed and Rita's moon base was taken over, Goldar crept back from the picture. He learned of the tag team efforts of Scorpina, who also seemed to disappear as Goldar did.

That was until he surfaced again in 1998 while the Space Rangers were cleaning up after Astronema. He was supposedly destroyed when the Red Ranger dispatched of the ancient warrior, Zordon, and crushed Goldar down to a pile of dust. Since then, there was no trace of the armored warrior, until now.

The images burned into his retinas, into his mind as he stood in the center of every entry he could possibly find. Now that he knew the enemy, now the question was how did he come back in the first place? His mind retraced the steps of the events preceding.

The archeologists' dig in the outskirts, deep in the desert to a cavern that the echo locaters picked up, with a strange energy emitting from it, and getting stronger as the days went on. It picked up the Admiral's attention and he sent a team out to find out what it was. Little did Williams know what he had discovered.

Another article caught Alex's eye as he stared at the picture on the hologram. The cylinder shaped glass holding tank now lay shattered, the panels that now were reduced to grime, rush and ashes. A small light in the back made him enhance the photo to see it better. On the wall behind, what he assumed to be a wall, sat a small pedestal. On that, five dark gold coins resided, a light beneath them illuminating their outlines.

The more Alex stared at it, the more it started to make sense. The strange energy Williams unearthed had more power than they had now; he could change the way of life they all knew it to be. It could fund science, leave room for enhancement on every piece of machinery they knew, it could lead to a next advance in weapon technology. It could run the city for years on end.

In one split second, it could destroy everything they knew, everything they've built since the 23rd century disasters that nearly wiped the human race off the map. It took centuries to get humanity back on track. Diseases, corruption and famine pushed the race back to its forefathers' time, to a time where the human race was just getting off its feet.

The wheels in Alex's mind began to turn, and his stomach clenched. Was Williams going to use this power to push the city two steps forward or three back? His mouth ran dry as he began thinking, and all the pieces fell into place in his mind…

"Sir?" a voice woke him from his memory as a young recruit opened the door, and Alex wiped the air clean with the stroke of a finger.

"Yes, recruit?"

He removed a small phone from ear. "It's Doctor Spellman; he's calling on behalf of Lieutenant Scotts, Sir." Alex could feel his heart pick up speed as the recruit spoke again. "She's awake and requesting you, Sir."

Alex shut down the system and grabbed his jacket, "Tell the Doctor I'm on my way." He jolted out of the doors, both happy and nervous to see Jen. She'd been out of it for weeks, and considering the injury she sustained, it was incredible she was even awake now. He had a small hop in his step, a little bounce he hadn't had for a while. After getting down to his car he eagerly to see her smiling face again…

_A day that he thought may never come…_


	5. Second Chances

_Greetings! I do apologize for the long delay, between work and battling a large writer's block, this chapter almost seemed impossible to complete until I had a bat of inspiration last night. Now that I have a solid storyline in mind, I'm hoping to update sooner than 3 months. While this chapter is short, it's necessary for what I have coming. Please comment and let me know what you think, I have more twists and turns planned, I haven't pronounced this fic dead yet... _

**Second Chances**

_Year 3009_  
_Mercy West Hospital  
22:30 hours_

Sweat lined Alex's forehead as he walked down the stretch of hallway that lead to Jen's room in the intensive care unit. Jen had finally awakened after the beating she received from that… monster. Why he was nervous about seeing her was beyond his comprehension; time itself seemed to slow, his feet plastered in concrete, almost like he was in a dream as he moved towards her room. Maybe he was afraid of what she would look like. Maybe he was afraid that, just like last time, he was useless in trying to help her.

Outside her room stood Jen's father, his hands folded across his chest as he watched the events on the inside of the room. Alex took a deep breath and called his name.

"Jack," Alex extended a hand. "How's she doing?"

Jack's eyes averted back between the drawn blades of the shade. "Jenny's awake, but the Doctors' aren't sure how much memory she has intact from what happened. Her motor functions are good, vitals look decent, but she's weak. All she kept asking for was for you, hasn't said anything else. The nurses are asking if you can try and get something out of her to give even them a clue."

Alex couldn't help but chuckle. "Jen hasn't always been the easiest person to get information out of, stubborn as a mule." Jack turned to him and smiled. "If she says anything relevant, I'll let you guys know."

Without another word he entered her room. Machines hummed and beeped all around her, IV poles hung precariously from the ceiling. The light bouncing off of them cast a lighted shadow around her, a halo of sorts. Walking slowly into the light, Alex let out the deep breath he'd been holding.

She turned her head towards him, pale and weak, and grinned. "No flowers?"

He removed the side rail from her bed and sat next to her, placing his hand gently over hers, worried he could break her that easily. She still had bandages surrounding her from where they had to repair the damage. Left and right he saw tubes connected to her, hidden by the bandages that covered her battered body.

"You hate flowers, Jen," he retorted and kissed her forehead lovingly, glad she was alive. "How are you feeling?"

Jen gave a small shrug. "I got the shit kicked out of me, Alex. You of all people should know how that feels." He couldn't help but notice the cuts and bruises on her skin, taking away from the glow of her face.

"You're definitely faking it, Jen. I can tell."

She raised an accusing eyebrow and giggled as a smile spread across her face. "Like I said, you of all people should know that."

"I'll take the medication into consideration for that one," Alex's smile disappeared, replaced by the seriousness that cloaked his face. "The nurses said you'd only talk to me. Why?"

The small smile escaped her lips, bringing back the smoothness to her cheeks. "How's Trip doing? Last I remember, he was shaking me, then nothing"

"Answer my question first." His voice became stern. "Do you remember what happened in the lab, before you got knocked out?"

Jen wearily shook her head and forced the words from her dry throat, "Nothing. I've been trying to remember, but all I see is a face, and I can't place where. Doctor said it could partially be because of the anesthesia, too, but all I see is a face." She quieted again. "I heard the Doctors' talking about Trip. Where is he?"

He bowed his head. "Trip," he swallowed hard. "He's in a coma, looks to be permanent. His family has requested he be brought back to Xybria, where they can spend whatever time remaining they have. I'm sorry, Jen."

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she drew in a deep breath. The heart monitor besides her began to beep faster as emotions flooded her veins. "And what of the… thing that did this to us? Did you guys catch him?"

"No, he escaped through a time hole-"

Jen's eyes widened as she forced herself to sit up, ignoring the pain and aching that came from it. "A time hole? I thought those were closed off after our mission to the past?"

His voice was relatively calm, "I don't know, Jen. I thought they were too, until one of the Sergeants stated he just disappeared into thin air. We've been trying to track him for weeks, but to no avail. Not until sensors indicated that he may be in the past, but we're not quite sure."

Her eyes narrowed. "What year?" Alex didn't give her an answer right away. He could tell where this was going, and to who. Growing impatient with his silence, Jen pushed for an answer again. "Alex, don't you dare lie to me. What year did he escape to?"

"Two-thousand ten, we believe," he answered dryly. He could see the wheels in Jen's head turn slowly, her mind processing.

"Have you made contact with Wes at all about if they've seen anything in his time?"

Alex winced at Wes' name, the taboo word they never spoke of. "I sent him a message saying to keep his eyes open, but if they've seen any traces I don't know. We don't have a way to get in contact with him."

Another voice joined them in the dark. Admiral Williams slowly moved into Jen's room, a cat on the prowl. Silent.

"That is why we will be sending someone back in time to monitor this situation, until we can find this creature and put a stop to its rampage." The shadows from the hallway cast his shadow towards them; an eerie feeling crept into the room. "Lieutenant, how are you feeling? Good to see you're awake." The tone in his voice was neutral.

Jen's body tensed. "Fine, Sir. Thank you. Any luck on what happened in the lab?"

He took a small step towards them. "Not a clue, we were hoping you can tell us. The nurses say your memory's been thrown off." Alex could swear he saw his lips curl into a smile. "I do hope it returns soon." Jen nodded in agreement, her eyes never leaving his.

"Who are we sending back, Admiral?" Alex asked. This time he did see it, a smile snaked effortlessly and emotionless onto his pale, wrinkled face. "You, Alex."

His eyes widened. "S-Sir?" Turning to Jen, she had the same puzzled look on her face as he did.

"You are being commissioned back to your rank of Lieutenant. We need someone who knows that time period and who isn't held up in a hospital bed," his eyes drifted to Jen. "Think of it as a second chance, Alex. So what is it?"

Alex stood so quickly it made his head spin. "I'll do it, Sir. Thank you."

Williams had no response, but simply bowed his head. "I do hope you will not let me down, Alexander. Do not disappoint me again." One swift turn on his heels, and Williams was gone, moving quietly down the hallway. Alex turned towards Jen, a wide grin spread across his face.

"Did that really just happen?" he whispered. Jen moved backward against the bed, her mind turning over and over.

"It did. But something is… off. Why would Williams suddenly put you back in commission after all the hell he's put you through? Something's off with it, Alex."

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead once again. "You worry too much. This is it; I've waited and wanted this for a while, Jen. Maybe he's finally forgiven me, finally seen the price I come with for this place. Get some sleep; I'll message you tomorrow of my findings." With a hop in his step, Alex made his way for the door.

"Alex," Jen said her voice low with concern. "Be safe, please." Alex nodded. "And," she added before closing her eyes. "Tell Wes… I miss him, and I'm sorry."

Before he could respond, the Pink Ranger was out cold as another round of medication kicked in. His lip tensed as she said Wes' name a second time, the knife that cut through him, a painful reminder of what he could have had, and what he didn't. Pushing it out of him mind, he exited the hospital just as the sun began to set, giving way to the darkened night.

* * *

_Year 2010_  
_BioLab Facilities  
07:25 hours_

Ethan James cracked his knuckles as his eyes stared into the green computer screens. Placing his fingertips on the smooth, cold plastic of the keyboard, a smile broke the flat lines of his face. "Stand back, and hold on. You're going to get your powers back. I can guarantee that."

It took several attempts for Andros and Zhane to try and put their morphers back online, but after hours of confusion and computer errors, it was decided they needed someone who could crack the code and access their powers. That's when Tommy called in for an old student, and fellow Ranger. Ethan James, computer extraordinaire. Typing furiously across the computer, his brow clenched in frustration.

"It's really locked up tightly, I don't know if I'll be able to access it. I've cracked thousands of computers and whatnot, but for some reason it won't let me." An idea popped into his head. "Wait. Let me try something else." Turning back, he began to work his magic again. Not too long after, a loud beep came from Andros and Zhane's morphers, signaling they were back online.

Andros clapped the young man on the shoulder, "Great job, Ethan. Now if we could only put the others back, we'd be in great shape."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Eric commended, his arms crossed. "We still only have four functional Rangers. Not quite the armada I pictured."

Tommy turned towards Jason. "Some of us can still fight, even without the power. May take some more wheaties and crunches to do so, but we can do it. We may be older, but we're not broken."

Zhane grinned at Tommy, and then turned back to where Wes was staring off into the fading horizon. "Something bothering you, Wes?"

Wes' eyes remained trained on the skyline; a cold shiver ran down his spine. "I just don't have a good feeling about this, Zhane. We're missing something, I can feel it. What, I don't know. But something's just not right about this whole thing." He shrugged. "Maybe I'm just paranoid."

Zhane chucked at the Time Force Ranger. "Chin up, man. Rangers always prevail." Wes gave him a fake smile and turned back out to the window, just in time to see a flash of green, yellow, blue and black, just over the horizon.

* * *

_Mountains of Silver Hills_

"My master…" Goldar grumbled into the small, holographic screen in front of him and dropped to one knee, respectively. Staring back at him was the outline of a man, his shoulders low and mysterious, and his face hidden from view by a blanket of dark surrounding him.

"_Have you made contact yet, Goldar?"_

The giant beast nodded slowly. "Yes. I have found the Rangers, Master, and they now know Goldar has returned for revenge. They are stronger than you spoke of, Master."

"_Will that be a problem?" _

Goldar shook his head. "No, it will not. I have defeated some of them before, but there are two of them that I have not seen. Are they a threat?"

"_Not unless you cannot handle it, Goldar. Although I trust you will be able to." _Goldar nodded and bowed solemnly.

"I have yet to find this Drake Ranger, my Lord. Has he been dispatched yet?"

The man raised an invisible eye brow. _"He will be arriving within the morning hours. When you do find him, beat him, but do not kill him." _A grin spread across his face, twisting his skin. _"Not just yet. Make him suffer and wish he were dead. Gather all the information he has, and then grant his wish." _

"And what of Jason? I still have unfinished business with him, Master?"

An evil grin spread across the man's face. _"I have something in mind for your friend, Goldar. Something unexpected. Something really… cruel. For now, find Drake and give him a warm welcome back to the past. When Jason's time comes you shall be notified."_

"Yes, Master. I shall do as you command." Goldar bowed once again as the small screen hummed and went disappeared, coloring the room once again, in darkness…


	6. A Cold Wind Blows

_St. Rose of Lima Cemetery  
Angel Grove, 06:45hrs_

Winter was coming, that he could feel easily. All around him leaves danced as they fell off the trees, a ballet with the wind; high in the air first then falling faster and faster until it hits the ground, buried in sorrow and regret, a love story, like his, that was just as tragic. The air surrounding his was crisp, dancing across his nose and cheeks, and freezing the silent tears that always began when he came here. Jason shivered as he walked through the fence with a fresh bouquet of white roses in his hand; the bright petals of the flowers contradicted his hand, raw and red from the wind.

Every year around the beginning of October he'd visit her, clear away the summer's mark and be ready for the snow; her favorite time of year, where the air was cold against the chest and the fire was warm, hot chocolate brewed instead of coffee, and the coldest of nights could be spent in bed, the lights low and enjoying a crackling fire. Every year, Jason told himself, he wouldn't cry.

Every year, he said he'd drop flowers and leave. Every year, this task became harder. He swallowed a lump in his throat as he passed the headstones that lead to her grave, the silent tomb that separated him from her. So close, and yet she was so far. Slowly Jason dropped to his knees, bowed his head and closed his eyes. Every year, the tears were harder and harder to fight.

Lifting his head back towards the wind he wiped the grime away from her name as his hand trembled. "Sorry I'm late," he whispered into the cold stone, "It's been a little crazy around here in the last two months." He removed the browned stems from his last visit and discarded them aside, replacing them with new ones. White roses were her favorite. Keeping one stem he sniffed it, her scent still stirred his memory. Its petals were soft and smooth, her skin; gentle and calming, just like her eyes; welcoming, like her heart.

The little composure Jason had suddenly let go, washing him over like a tidal wave. Tears streamed as he traced her name, almost as if he could touch her once more. He could see her face, hear her voice, and taste her kiss. The littlest detail and he felt as if she was almost there with him once again. His heart tore as once again, she gracefully slipped through his fingers. Bracing himself on her headstone, he drew in a deep, cold breath and spoke, the solemn mantra he repeated every year on the anniversary of her death.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me." Tears fell into the cold ground and soaked in as he raised his head and finished cleaning her tomb. "I told you I'd make it right the day you were put here, that he wouldn't get away with what he did to you. He took you from us. From me. I'll make things right with the world, I promise." Jason stood; his body trembled as he swallowed hard once again. Bending over he kissed the top of the stone, where he thought her lips may parallel and placed the remaining rose over it, sealing the promise in stone. This year, however, he was going to fulfill that promise. Goldar wasn't going to get a second chance this time.

Taking one more look at her grave site, Jason took in a deep breath as a new fire ignited in his soul, burning bright red with hatred. He had his goal, his second chance to finally say good bye and but his aching heart at ease. Jason had his goal, after all the years of secret sorrow and regret. Finally, he could make Goldar pay.

He left slowly, his fists clenched and his lips set firm, leaving Trini Kwan to rest, once again, in peace.

* * *

Silver Guardian Headquarters seemed much bigger than Alex remembered as he walked through the front doors and into the gigantic lobby, the bright afternoon sky darkened by his sunglasses. Staring up into the opening it reminded him a lot of Time Force. Similar building structure, similar set up, and yet a mind full of bad memories came rushing back. He rolled back his broad shoulders and proceeded to the front desk.

"Excuse me, ma'am," he began to the receptionist as she stared at the computer screen, "I need to speak with Wesley Collins, it's rather important."

She let out a hearty laugh and looked towards him, "Very funny Mister-" she stopped when she saw the mirror standing in front her, his jet black hair and sunglasses hid his eyes, but not his voice. "He's not here currently, I'm sorry; he's out on patrol."

Alex's eyes caught the TV monitor behind her, where a breaking news story cut off all other broadcasting stations. Watching it, Alex knew exactly where to find Wes. "I'm not so sure about that, thank you anyway." Turning sharply on his heels Alex ran for the door and made his way towards the Town Center, where smoke had already began to cloud the horizon as Goldar began his second attack.

* * *

Andros forgot what it felt like to have your body chewed up and spit out as he rolled ten feet from his split second perch on the wall. Falling hard onto the concrete jogged his memory more than he wished to recall. Groaning he stood, watching as Zhane, Wes and Eric fought against Goldar again, his second attack in the last month. Not quite the consistency he was used to, but it was an attack nonetheless.

He shook off a concussion he felt brewing and focused. Zhane blurred together with the red flashes of Wes and Eric, and a black figure as Tommy fought, unmorphed. Jason, he came to found out, was missing in action, where he was remained an unanswered question.

"Andros!" Eric called, "you okay?" The Red Space Ranger gave him thumbs up as he caught his breath. With one last huff he jumped back in, slicing and dicing the best he could but Goldar was stronger than he remembered, wearing down the Rangers quicker than he remembered. Or he was just getting old, either option he didn't want to consider at the moment. Behind him Wes landed on a car, cracking the glass and sending the Rangers into a short cursing fit. Running over he helped him off, and hopped back into the fight.

Goldar laughed, deep and bellow. "You Rangers are no match for Goldar! This mission is going to be easier than I remember. Five Rangers is no challenge for Goldar!"

A white blast whined past Andros' ear and echoed through the air as it hit Goldar's shoulder, throwing the beast back a few feet and caught him by surprise.

"How about six?" Alex called as he joined the ranks, his weapon hot and his face fierce. He earned looks of surprise and awe from the others, except Wes who couldn't help but grin.

"About time you guys showed up," he looked behind him expecting Jen to show her face, but this time he found, Alex was alone. "I'll explain later, let's get back to it."

Goldar grinned, "Ah, Commander, pleasure to see you again. I trust your friends are six feet under by now, send them my regards!" he jumped towards Alex and engaged the fight, sending the other Rangers back in surprise. Alex's muscles pumped rigorously as he defended back and attacked, sending his fist pounding into the monster's stomach, but to no avail. He blocked a kick from Goldar and threw one right back.

Zhane went up to Wes and Eric, "Wes, if I didn't know better, I could swear that was your twin."

Wes' saber appeared in hand. "Like I said, I'll explain later," he called for Alex's name and joined him, handing the former Ranger a chrono saber and getting back into the fight. Andros, Zhane and Eric joined him as Tommy hid and tried to contact Jason again, but to no avail. Frustrated, he hung up the phone and rejoined the fight.

With a stronger blow, Goldar sent the Rangers flying once again in all directions, and landing on whatever piece of earth they inevitably found. He laughed as focused all his attention on Alex, his sword drawn. Effortlessly, Goldar continued his assault on newly reinstated Time Force officer, putting the Lieutenant's fighting skills to the ultimate test. One after another Goldar pushed Alex, tiring him, and taking one final blow to his head, and sent the Lieutenant back, landing him on a piece of glass. Alex cursed as the shard ripped through his pants and into his calf muscle.

"Lieutenant Drake, I have exclusive orders to dispatch you first. Like I said prior, do send my regards to your friends, especially the Lieutenant, I'm sure she's dying to see you." Goldar raised his sword, and before he could bring it down, Wes jumped and deflected the blow, pushing Goldar away from Alex, who worked carefully to remove the shard that stuck in his calf. He watched Wes, fighting hard and valiantly as he always did. Swipe after swipe, the Red Time Force Ranger took every open hole and aimed, his anger towards Goldar rising.

"I swear, I'll make you pay for what you did to Jen and Trip, Goldar," Wes huffed, his grip tightened, "and for the other Time Force officers you killed."

Goldar grinned, "You do not have the will power, Ranger. Killing is not in your code."

"He's not the one you need to be worried about, Goldar," Jason said from behind them, his eyes glowing red with fire, and the other half of Wes's saber in his hand. Taking the opportunity, Wes put Goldar on the ground and looked up towards where Jason stood; staring into Goldar's beat red eyes, those eyes that took her from him all those years ago, the eyes that broke his heart into pieces.

Goldar paused, assessing the situation carefully. Today, he decided, was not the day he was here for.

"You have not seen the last of me, Rangers. My mission is not over yet." In a gold flash, he was gone.

Wes lowered his grip on his weapon as he demorphed with the others, and looked at Jason. Something was different with him. His shoulders, once slouched and low were tall and broad, his face set firm and powerful, his fists clenched tightly. Something was on the Ranger's mind, but would he tell, was the question that plagued through Wes's mind. He turned to where Eric and Tommy helped Alex up, supporting his injured leg.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Alex," he said as he walked over towards him. If Alex was back, that only meant one thing.

Alex groaned at the tear in his leg. "She's alive, Wes, before you even fire off the questions. Goldar doesn't know that, he thinks he finished her off. Let's go somewhere else to discuss this, please. City streets are not my idea of a secure location."

* * *

The clocked approached two A.M. slowly as the six of seven Rangers sat at Wes's dining room table, treating their wounds with peroxide and stitches; their spirits with a half glass of whiskey each. Something was different about this fight, they could all feel it.

Zhane licked his lips of the drink, "So now the question remains, what sent Goldar attacking Alex? What did you do to piss him off that much?"

Alex put the final wrapping on around his cut, "Not a clue, Zhane, to be honest. I've never fought him before, let alone encountered him. I was told about the attack at Headquarters as the Admiral called me, saying Jen and Trip was in critical condition. I did my readings on our archives, but didn't get much. The original archives were destroyed when a massive earthquake sent California nearly off the maps, mid 23rd century. We've been trying to recover what we can for centuries." Their faces dropped as they stared at Alex both frightened and confused. He bit his lip, mentally kicking himself. "You all will be long gone before that happens, forget I said anything."

"Were you able to find anything on the security disks?" Tommy asked, but received nothing more than a shake of the head from Alex.

"No," he said, "The disk that recorded it somehow was damaged. It had before and after, but everything in between is fuzzy and cut. There are only fragments of data, but I'm working on trying to piece them back together. Needless to say, I haven't made progress."

Eric sipped his glass. "Sounds like someone tried to get rid of the evidence," he earned nods of agreement from everyone else before looking at his watch. "I hate to leave the sewing party but I have an upset wife and two boys at home I need to let know I'm alive. Gentlemen, I bid thee good night." He stumbled up as Wes grinned. "Don't give me that look; I'm perfectly fine to drive home."

Andros, Tommy and Zhane too followed Eric, making their way upstairs towards the bedrooms Wes graciously offered them, leaving him and Alex alone. The silence settled between them.

"I wanted to say thanks," Alex said as he broke the silence, "for helping me out there today."

Wes nodded. "You're welcome." The room grew quiet between them once again, as Wes stared at the patterns in the table cloth. "How is she? Jen."

Alex knew exactly who he was talking about. "She's doing fine, Wes. I saw her before I came back here. Banged up and hurting, but she's alive. A little heavily dosed on the pain killers," he chuckled, "but she's Jen."

"Does she talk about me? Not that she would, I mean-" he trailed off, not knowing how to finish his sentence. "Has she mentioned me at all since she left?"

"No," Alex said flatly and saw the look of defeat in his eyes. "She doesn't need to, Wes; I see it in her every day. She misses her friend. When she teaches, when she walks down the hallway," he paused, "when she looks at me, she's looking to see your face again. You were her best friend here, Wes. She has a message for you." Wes's eyes turned towards him. "She's sorry, and she misses you. More than you can know."

Wes turned back to the glass that was nearly empty. "I miss her too. It makes me wonder, if she stayed, would anything have happened? Would we have made it to the end, or crashed hard?"

Alex too looked for the answer in his glass but found none. "You never know, Wes. Maybe if a second chance comes around, you should fight for it, see what happens. I tried for that second chance and I couldn't get her." Wes's ears perked. "She wouldn't let me back in. You don't need to say it; I know I did this to myself. I pushed her away, and I'll never know if it would have worked."

Wes bit his lip. "I'm sorry, Alex. I know you blame me for all of this-"

"Let's get something straight, Collins, I don't blame you. I did at first, but I saw the change in Jen; how she conducted herself, how she talked, she grew up. I thought maybe, I should too. We can't help who we fall for. Some of us fall harder than others."

Wes smiled towards him. "Well, regardless of what's happened between us, I'm glad you're here. We need a guy like you on the team."

For the first time, Wes saw Alex smile, his lips curled back into a human emotion. Again, he could understand why Jen fell for him. "Likewise," he responded, and turned to head upstairs to rest, limping slowly towards the kitchen, then the stairs, leaving Wes all alone in the dining room with a lot on his mind. He reached for the container and poured himself one more helping.

He made his way towards the living room and out onto the porch. The air was cold around him, but Wes found no aggravation towards it. Maybe it was the whiskey, or maybe it was something else, he wasn't sure. As he stood outside, he looked up towards the night sky, and stared into the stars. Something in the back of his mind told him they weren't through yet, that somehow they could do this, just once more. They could survive it and help history heal once again.

The night wind danced across his ears, laughing, and a familiar tone he knew by heart. Glancing across the patio he closed his eyes, his mind bringing up his favorite memory. They were merely twenty, with the whole world resting on their shoulders.

_The ground was cold beneath them, even in the layers of clothes they dawned. Sitting opposite of each other, their shoulders parallel, his left ear to her right, they created a line in the frozen grass. Perhaps it was the warmth of each others company or the ideal of just not caring. For one night they could relax, one night before the chaos of tomorrow erupted and Ransik sent out whatever nasty creature he had in his collection. _

"_It's worth it, you'll see," he said, the heat of his breath puffed up and escaped into the atmosphere. "My sister and I used to do this when we were younger." _

"_Wait for the coldest night of the fall and get frostbite on your ass?" Jen huffed as Wes tapped her stomach, and Jen retaliated by hitting his shoulder. Silence fell between them once again. _

_Jen spoke, and caught Wes off guard. "Can I ask you something, Wes?" he nodded. "What's your biggest fear? I'm not talking spiders or drowning, but, what makes you… you I guess." _

_He was silent for a few minutes. "I don't know, really. I guess… I didn't want my mom to think I was some sort of failure, that she son she left behind; the son she never would grow to know wouldn't let her down." _

"_I'm sorry she died, Wes." Jen said. _

_Wes cleared his throat. "She didn't die; she left when I was five. Packed her bags and never looked back. For years, I thought I was the reason she left. What did I do wrong to make her hate me, why did she have to leave? You know, Jen, everyone things because my father has money means my life is perfect. It's far from that. My father doesn't know me, doesn't know my likes, dislikes, talents. Everyone things I'm a prince. I'm far from that." _

"_Oh," was all she could muster up. Jen was quiet, soaking it in. He was right; she was wrong. Maybe she had misjudged him after all. _

"_You?" _

_Jen bit her lip. She wasn't expecting Wes to reveal that much. Time to put up or shut up, she figured. "I…" she paused. "Don't laugh when I tell you this, okay?" He turned his head towards her, his blue eyes only inches from hers. "I come from a little Nebraska town, not many people know it. I have two sisters, and a brother. Mom and Dad were proud dairy farmers. We were your classic hicks…"_

_Wes did his best to keep his laugh in, but to no avail. Jen shot him a look and immediately he stopped. "Sorry." _

"_But I loved being a country girl. Sitting on the barn watching the stars rise as the sun fell on the horizon, running through the corn field playing hide and seek at night, the big family celebrations, it was like a dream. But the future isn't as happy-go-lucky as you'd believe it to be. We had a real bad summer when I was eleven. Crops didn't grow, and we couldn't make money. Everything dried out, and at one point there wasn't turning back. The farm was dead. Dad got a bat of depression and tried to hang himself from the barn. Needless to say he did it the wrong way and fell out of the noose, busted his head and a few ribs. _

"_Getting back on our feet was difficult, it happened with the entire state. We ended up selling our land and moving to California, where they made enough money to get us by. Diane and Pam both moved out once they got jobs to help with the budget. My brother was put in a psychiatric hospital after he found heroine to be his scapegoat and robbed a few stores at gunpoint, ended up hurting a lot of people. I was teased all the time by the city kids, for by dad and brother being crazy, and my mother not coming out of the house. I decided I didn't want that, and when I was sixteen, I joined Time Force to get away from it all._

"_You know the history from there. I was always afraid that something like that was going to happen again, where my life's going to spiral out of control and I won't have any power over it, that I'm going to end up alone, with no one to rely on, to help me. I did everything by myself. Dad and Adam were preoccupied, my sisters left to get away, and Mom curled up in a vodka bottle. I tried so hard to pull it all together, but nothing worked. My trust ran out, and I felt like I was losing control, and that I couldn't pull myself out, I was drowning. It got worse after Alex died. My white knight, gone, just like all the rest."_

_She fell silent once again, leaving Wes to ponder. He took her hand in his, putting it over his heart. A cold wind blew around them as Jen closed her eyes, waiting for the meteor shower to start. Her heart skipped a beat as Wes entwined his fingers with hers, making her sit up immediately and catch her breath. She couldn't. But her heart said different as he held her hand, her pulse increased._

_Next to her, he sat up slowly and let go of her hand, and touched her cheek, reddened from the cold and whipped away a frozen tear. "You have nothing to be afraid of, Jen. I may not be a knight, but I'll always be here to catch you when you fall. Always." _

_A flash came from above the night sky as the meteor shower began, spots of white spread across the black background, streaking across and illuminating them. The stars stood still as they navigated through the atmosphere, shining brightly back in her eyes. "Its view's beautiful," she whispered, her eyes directing back to the show above them. _

_His eyes locked with hers, the hazel in her eyes reflecting the phenomenon above them, lighting up her face like never before. "Make a wish, Jen." Her lip trembled as she leaned in towards him; the warmth of his breath was the gravity she needed, pulling her towards him, her guard falling like the stars, waiting for someone to catch them. Her wish was answered as Wes met her half way, and kissed her. _

_For a moment she sat there, her lips locked with Wes, a kiss so intoxicating her head began to spin as his other hand encased her face. She leaned into his again, moving closer and falling back to earth as she broke it, her face turned towards the horizon. Licking her lips, she let go of him completely, hoping this wouldn't be the first fall she would encounter._

_For the remainder of the show they sat in a comfortable silence, their eyes gazing on opposite sides of the earth watching the show the universe put on just for them. Meteors rocketed across sky, the heartbeat of the sky reflecting down on the ill-fated pair, flashing and flying across the earth's dark ceiling and encased them in a small circle that seemed created just for them. In that brief moment, even time seemed to stop as the magic above them spun, giving both of them a wish that both their hearts longed for, a chance for happiness, and a small, microscopic glimmer of hope. _

Wes sipped the last of his whiskey and returned to the warmth of his bedroom where he laid, his eyes staring up into the velvet sky. Eventually sleep overcame him and his eyes closed. Outside his window the darkness of the sky was cut by a small, white light, a single shooting star passing through, and in the blink of an eye, it disappeared, overcome once again by the night.


End file.
